RABBI, a Jewish title (Hebr. My teacher or master; ScbavicaXe, John I., 38) or Rob (master) or Rabbenu (our mas ter; Hebrew) or Rabban (our master: Aramaic) are titles applied to Jewish scholars or doctors of the Law, but not used by them in speaking of themselves. They spoke of themselves as Talmidhe Haklzdmim (disciples of the wise) ; in later days a spiritual head of a congregation would style himself ions, or ibper (cf. title page of S. Singer's Authorized Daily Prayer Book). Rab in biblical Hebrew means "great" and in later Hebrew "master" as opposed to eebhedh or servant. These titles must be differentiated and the locus classicus is the famous letter of Sherira (see GAON) from which it is clear that Rab is a Babylonian and Rabbi a Palestinian title. In Rabbi and Rabbenu the pronominal suffixes "my" and "our" soon lost all force. Rabban was reserved for the Patriarchs, the first to bear the title being Gamaliel I. (haz-Zaqen), who pre sided alone over the Sanhedrin. Sherira emphasizes the fact that the earlier authorities (e.g., Hillel) bore no titles. As regards the relative rank of the variants he says, "Rabbi is higher than Rab and Rabban is higher than Rabbi : higher than Rabban is the simple name." This means that the earliest untitled authorities
are the most distinguished : these are followed by the Patriarchs and then by the Palestinian Tannaites (see GA0N) and Babylonian scholars successively. It is clear that in the days of Jesus titles were not used and some modern scholars therefore consider Mat thew xxiii., 7, 8: Mark x., 51: John xx., 16 as anachronisms. The Tosefta to tEduyOth (end) maintains that Rabbi denotes a teacher with at least two generations of disciples : in process of time antiquity makes him regarded as Rabban and by the time the second generation of disciples is forgotten he is styled by his own name alone. On the other hand Judah I., the redactor of the Mishnah is often known as Rabbi Kar' E ox.7'7v, while the Amora Abba Arika was generally styled Rab. The title of Rabbi was later conferred by ordination (Semikhah or laying on of hands) : a still later term is hattarath h5ra'ah or facultas docendi. The Qaraites in the tenth century who rejected Rabbinic tradition designated their opponents as Rabbanites. In mediaeval times Rabbenu was used of distinguished scholars. In modern days Rabbi or Rab is often a courtesy title.